Brand Twittiquette

I was reading Chris Brogan’s tips on tweeting and whilst it covered good points for individuals, it got me thinking about how brands should use Twitter to engage with customers. Actually I have been thinking about it for a while, but felt compelled to write about it this time. The problem seems to be that a lot of brands are using it as new platform for traditional methods of broadcasting messages. Is this acceptable? On a personal level Twitter can be used like the new postcard of correspondence, updating those who are interested in your life in a short succinct way. But what about brands? At the worst they can be perceived as just pushing lame adverts thinly disguised as conversation points (and even then that "thin conversation" is subjective).  image by David Armano Instead we need to offer something to our customers, something useful, something free. And when I talk about brands it is not just blue chips, non-profits and SME’s, but also individuals who are using it for professional reasons (think Brand Me). Who is abusing Twitter? It is a little hard to read this screenshot, but you view the feed at www.twitter.com/hungry_jacks. Essentially they are broadcasting the same message that you would expect to see in print, tv or on radio. There is no call to arms, no interaction or collaboration and so unsurprisingly very few followers for a brand of this size. But it gets more interesting, as obviously whatever strategy they had for social media across other platforms is heading the same way... When you click on the links in their Twitter entries, they take you through to Facebook. I find the bottom entry particularly interesting where they mention that they "have received ALOT of feedback on HK's Burger Club..." I am not sure if 16 entries count as a lot, but what is more interesting is the fact that there is not one person talking up or promoting the new chicken nuggets. OK, that is not the end of the world, the biggest problem here is that there is not one representative from Hungry Jacks actually in there talking this through with the participants. They have effectively been invited to a party where the host has decided not to to turn up. Most of the time the guests would leave, but in this instance they are simply trashing the place. So what lessons are there to learn from here? Don't expect followers if you are just pushing sales messages Frequent engagement is required - Burger King are tweeting sporadically, either within minutes of each tweet or upto over a week apart On the flip side, don't tweet like it is going out of fashion (even if it is). They would be best tweeting 5-6 times a day and if they were really smart, 30 minutes either side of meal times. Ensure that your references to other social media channels are accurate Monitor what others are saying and talk to them about it - don't expect the group to self manage So who is doing it right? It seems that more brands are getting the idea as to how they should be using social media and in particular Twitter. Even Telstra who don't exactly have the best reputation with service are using Twitter well. The first thing as with any social media strategy is to listen. It is easy to see what people are saying on Twitter and with an array of 3rd party tools anyone can setup a monitoring system that means there is little reason for brands to not be able to respond to individuals promptly. Take a look at Telstra's Twitter. What are they doing? Listening out for customers with problems who are following them. A good start, but they could improve it in two ways: Extending the hours that they are online. Presently they only offer the service during week time office hours. There are a also a lot of complaints out there that they do not appear to be getting addressed, or if they are, they not showing up on searches. Telstra should be monitoring for their non-followers and addressing them in the public domain.  What should Brands be doing? Start by listening to all discussions out there and respond to them, in particular ones where there is reference to poor service. Ensure that responses are made visible to the public. This offers two advantages: Everyone can see that the brand's customers are taken seriously and given quality service Operational costs can be dramatically decreased by solutions being put in the public domain - there is a strong chance that the person who raises an issue  is not the only one with the problem If you are a company or organisation with multiple departments, have Twitter accounts for each of them so that customers can go straight to the right people and again keep operational costs down. Don't make them feel like they are on hold online. Start to "give" followers, customers, fans etc something. Useful information (not sales promotions) is a great way, whether it is an executive summary of a report or a link to a voucher for something for free. Tourism Australia promote areas by putting links through to other site, blogs, travels stories - for their followers it is a great way of learning about new destinations. Ensure that you follow your customers if they follow you. At the minimum this allows you to send them direct messages when appropriate. It also shows that you actually care about them. Be sincere, but fun. Informality creates stronger relationships than formality. And finally, it is not about size OK, that is not quite true, but what I am referring to is that you should not be "buying" followers from dubious sources. Your followers should grow organically. These people will become your fans who will  put their reputation on the line to promote you to their peers. When people start re-tweeting you (in a positive light) you know that you are on the right path. Brands with a small number of followers such as  Hungry Jacks should be concerned as they would have grown a lot larger if they had embraced Twitter properly. Brands though with a few thousand grown organically are on the right path. Knowing your customer base is helpful. Are you a niche fashion brand with a small but loyal following or a mainstream automotive manufacturer? Aspects like these will help you understand what sort of numbers you can expect. Once you have an accurate idea as to the size you should be you can gauge whether you are tweeting right, given some time to grow. I would love to hear what other experiences have been and what other recommendations people have.